Vatican abuse summit focuses on how Catholic bishops can police one another / National Catholic Reporter

(Cardinal Blase) Cupich (Archbishop of Chicago) began his own talk by outlining four broad principles under which the church should act in regards to abuse, underscoring in particular the need to listen to victims and to incorporate lay people “into every effort to identify and construct structures of accountability.” (National Catholic Reporter)

Presentations during the second day of Pope Francis’ highly anticipated global summit on clergy sexual abuse focused widely on how Catholic bishops should police one another for signs of questionable conduct, while also making room for the'”essential role’ of laypeople in rooting out abuse.

“Although the main speeches from Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias and Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich on Feb. 22 mentioned various issues facing the global Catholic Church in confronting the abuse crisis, they both stressed a desire for prelates to watch over each other.

“Gracias, the first of the day to address the first of its kind summit, asked the 190 cardinals, bishops and heads of religious orders taking part at one point: ‘Do we really engage in an open conversation and point out honestly to our brother bishops or priests when we notice problematic behavior in them?’

“The cardinal then said the prelates need to better develop a culture of ‘correctio fraterna,’ which recognizes criticism ‘as an opportunity to better fulfill our tasks.’

Cupich began his own talk by outlining four broad principles under which the church should act in regards to abuse, underscoring in particular the need to listen to victims and to incorporate lay people ‘into every effort to identify and construct structures of accountability.'”